Our @IveyMScStudents in Nicaragua weren’t the only ones to enjoy a week off. #TeamIndia spent the past week away from office doing a multitude of different activities. In this week’s post, Christina and Ameena (twitter.com/AmeenaBajar) had similar ideas when it came to deciding what to do with their new found time off, travel. While Ameena decided to explore the northern beauty of India, Christina decided to venture out and see what the rest of the Asian region has to offer.
Exploring Asia with Christina
Since Day 1 at Ivey, the Career Management team has taught us the importance of taking charge of our careers. During our first semester, we learned the importance of knowing ourselves and our goals, being genuine, having something to offer others, and building real connections. Since being in India, our group has continued to put to use what we learned during the semester. Our class has spent four busy weeks working on our respective projects; however, when we weren’t in the office, you would find most of us in front of our computers sending e-mails, or stepping out of the room to make a phone call to maintain our connections or create new ones. This week was our break week from our internships, but networking was still as important as ever.
For our week off I ventured to Hong Kong and Taipei, two cities that I have never been to before but have always been interested in visiting. Knowing that I was going to these places, I reached out to Ivey alumni hoping to get a better sense of the industries in those areas. In a small café in Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, I met up with an Ivey EMBA graduate for breakfast and we chatted about the local banking industry. Though we had only spoken once on the phone prior to my arrival in HK, our Ivey connection made it feel like I was talking to an old friend. While chatting, we discovered that one of our favourite professors, Professor Shih-Fen Chen, had taught both of us. By the end of breakfast not only had I made a new friend, but I had a better sense of a typical working day for someone in the banking industry in Hong Kong, and what firms would match my personality
Christina catches up with friend and fellow CEMS Student Board representative Tutku Altinbas from the Copenhagen Business School during her break week.
During my stay in Taipei, I attended an All Chambers of Commerce networking event, which I was able to attend through the local Taipei chapter of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. Although there were many Chambers that participated, the Canadian participation was overwhelming. I met a Canadian gentleman who had such a deep love for Canadian made products that he had decided to leave his job in the tech industry a few years back and started importing Canadian products, such as maple syrup, to Asia. I also spoke to a Canadian couple who had been expatriates in many countries, and they gave me an idea of what living in Taipei was like as compared to other places they had lived.
My week off in Hong Kong and Taipei was jam-packed with exploring new sites, trying new food, and meeting new people. My favourite part of the week was learning about these places from a local or expatriate’s perspective. I also learned this week how special being part of the Ivey network is; it creates a sense of community in situations you wouldn’t expect. We will be working hard to wrap up our projects in the coming weeks, but I’m excited to continue building my network and to start preparing for interviews!
Heading North with Ameena
Everyone needs a vacation every once in a while. While many may choose to use their free time to lay by a pool, relax on a beach, or even explore a new country, I chose to use the majority of my break week to explore another area of India that is very close to me — the North. Being of half-Indian heritage, and never having visited the country before, I knew I had to take this opportunity to visit the area of India where my father was born and learn more about my cultural background.
It’s fair to say that I fell in love with North India. What was most interesting to me was that although I had not left the country, the North felt worlds apart from the South, where I am working for IGL. It’s a testament to the diversity of India. I flew from almost the very Southern tip of the country to the very North and everything from the language, food, weather, and even traditional clothing changed!
This experience was such an important part of my time in India. Not only was I able to learn more about my personal connection with India, but I had the opportunity to further discover this vast country and embrace the culture, which is such an important part of the IGL experience.